The Lehman College MARC Program was funded initially in August 1986 and was renewed in 1992 and 1997. It addresses the problems of minority underrepresentation in the biomedical sciences in the context of the particular challenges Lehman faces as an urban commuter college in the Bronx. The goals of the MARC Program are to: maintain high academic standards while increasing the number of qualified students who apply to the program and increase the number of students interested in biomedical research; enrich the education and research experience of MARC and non-MARC students; continue to enhance the science curriculum and expand the undergraduate science community of students; increase the number of MARC and non-MARC minority students who go on to earn Ph.D.s in biomedical sciences. We propose to strengthen the program and improve our success rate through the following activities: the Brown Bag Luncheon Series; MARC/Biology Seminar and the Responsible Conduct in Research courses; faculty mentoring workshops; mentored intra- and extramural research; individual meetings of MARC students and faculty to discuss scientific articles; peer mentoring; poster presentations; attendance at scientific meetings; and an outside evaluation. The hallmark of the Lehman College MARC Program remains the opportunity for the research experience afforded its scholars. MARC scholars will work with Lehman faculty mentors on campus and may participate with their mentors in collaborations with other research institutions in the tristate area. Scholars will be required to have at least one extramural summer research experience to broaden their exposure to research. We believe that all of these activities will provide the MARC and ultimately the non-MARC students with the tools they need to be admitted to graduate school, complete their doctorate, and embark upon successful research careers. [unreadable] [unreadable]